Aura of Worlds Early Access Review
As someone who plays games on both PC and console, I experience the best of both worlds. One of my favorite PC features is Early Access. Betas are great, but they are generally limited both in scope and time. Games can be in Early Access for a variety of times, ranging from 6 months to over a year. Generally speaking, the shorter timeframes equate to a close to final build, and many times, you are playing what everyone else will but that much sooner. What is nice about Early Access on Steam is that you can see a roadmap of what is in the game and what is planned to be as development continues. It feels like opening up a present every time you see an Early Access game in your library queued for an update. I do understand that some may avoid Early Access because “why would I want to play an unfinished product?” You seem to have no problem paying $70 for a AAA title that releases the equivalent of small dumpster fires. Another perk of Early Access is that your feedback/suggestions could make it into the final game. How cool is that? I bet a person could come up with many suggestions if a game were in Early Access for 5+ years. Wait, five years?!?!
Developed by Cognitive Force, Aura of Worlds is a roguelite platformer emphasizing using outside-the-box strategies, and yes, it has been in Early Access since 2018. Returning to the “unfinished product” above, there have been updates nearly every month since the game launched on Steam (Don’t believe me? Go check the Steam page). It is quite a marvel to watch a game grow as much as this one had almost six years ago.
There is little story to speak of in Aura of Worlds (a slightly more robust narrative is in the works), but the gameplay is the show's star here. As you progress into the game, you can choose a starting point, but all levels are procedurally generated, and your starting equipment is randomized from what you have unlocked. Of course, early on, there is only so much randomization of gear that can happen with a small selection, but the levels change so much that even a repeat of gear that worked well (for example, a grappling hook to avoid pools of lava) may have less use on the next run. The player character can run, dodge, jump, and attack as they must find the exit. HOW you reach said exit is entirely up to you. Are you the exploring type who needs to check every nook and cranny for loot? Are you the type that runs for your life and wants to get out as soon as possible? Perhaps you need to destroy every enemy possible. Every few levels completed leads to a shop where you can spend all that hard-earned money on potions and runes. After completing the following level, you can try your luck at the level boss. Defeating the boss gives you a choice of two biomes to head to, while dying sends you back to the hub. Any progression made (literally any; you can kill two enemies and quit) feeds into your progression bar, which unlocks new gear every time it fills up.
WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER
Why run through a corridor littered with spike traps and falling rocks when you can throw a vase to trigger the pressure plates? Did you miss a treasure chest but cannot reach that height? Blow up the floor underneath it and make the treasure come to you. While you go spelunking, you must be aware of the many enemies trying to kill you. Also, the level is definitely trying to kill you. Those traps above are just the tip of the iceberg. It is possible to end a run by drowning, getting blown up (by your hand and not), getting impaled, choking to death on poison, or being burned alive, to name a few. There is even a spectral entity that hunts you down as it moves through solid objects to catch you (it can also take out any enemy in its path, so there is that…). Fear not, as most of these hazards can help you. Did you know that if you throw a grenade into a lava pool, the ground will blow out, and you can avoid burning your little toes? Instead of worrying about drowning from fluctuating water levels, why not use the rising water to reach those out-of-reach platforms? You would be surprised what can be accomplished with some chaotic thinking and some luck (a lot of luck). For example, I was being attacked by two bats, a blob, and a skeleton with a spear. The skeleton jumped to pounce, and I managed to “catch” his landing on the shield I held above my head. I used my forcefield power to scatter the enemies so I could pick them off more easily. Said forcefield launched a nearby vase into a lamp that rained down fire (it was oil burning) on everyone (including me). A potion later, and I was the last one standing. Could I do that again? Absolutely not, but it was fun to watch it happen.
Hindsight is 20/20, but I am positive that the Aura of Worlds from 2018 would have caught my eye as much as this current version. I only wish I could have watched it grow and improve because what I have played has done nothing but impress me. This is one of the most addicting roguelite platformers I have played recently. Early Access still not for you? A full release is planned for Q2 2024, so it will be here soon. Please do yourself a favor (and help out an indie developer) and go wishlist the game so you do not miss it when it launches.
